1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a telephone communication apparatus that can be connected to communication paths of a plurality of communication lines and through which information in the form of speeches, images and data of a telephone, a facsimile apparatus or the like are transmitted or transmitted for speech communications. More specifically, the invention relates to connection of a cordless slave apparatus having a quick communication function, processing when communication requests are made from a plurality of lines, and processing when a communication request is made to another line during speech communications in telephone communications in which a plurality of lines are connected.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, some of telephone communication apparatus such as telephones or facsimile apparatuses can be connected to communication paths of a plurality of communication lines and are provided with a conversation reservation function. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 5-30253 (1993) discloses a technique regarding a facsimile apparatus with a telephone function that is connected to a plurality of lines, in which a connection to an unused communication apparatus is established so as to deal with a conversation reservation request of the facsimile apparatus even when the telephone function is in use. Moreover, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 5-336339 (1993) discloses a technique regarding a facsimile apparatus having a plurality of lines, in which a conversation reservation request that occurs during communications is processed appropriately. A conversation reservation request detecting portion detects a conversation reservation request from a signal received at a line control portion, and lets a busy line determining portion determine the use status of a telephone. In the case where the telephone is in use, the occurrence of the conversation reservation request is stored in a conversation reservation hold storage portion. A display screen in an operating portion and the telephone are notified of the occurrence of the conversation reservation request. A conversation reservation instructing portion outputs a conversation reservation instruction when the line becomes idle. A conversation reservation executing portion executes the instruction requesting the conversation reservation.
Regarding the communication paths of a plurality of lines, in addition to the conversation reservation function, Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication JP-U 2-24664 (1990) discloses a technique regarding a facsimile apparatus that is connected to a plurality of communication lines, in which when call-arrival detecting means detects that a call has arrived from another communication line while facsimile communications through a communication line are ongoing, and when means for determining the priority of the two communication lines determines that the communication line at which the new call has arrived takes priority over the communication line of the ongoing facsimile communications, then a line switching portion switches a modem portion to be connected to a network control portion on the side of a priority communication circuit and starts execution of a transmission control procedure with respect to the side of the priority communication line.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 6-164760 (1994) discloses a technique regarding a facsimile apparatus that can automatically select a line to be used from a plurality of lines and recognize the selected line to be used easily at anytime during operation. When a line selection control portion is in an automatic line selection mode, it determines whether or not there is an unused line among the lines of a type with high priority. In the case where there is an unused line, a line of the type with high priority (ISDN) is selected. On the other hand, in the case where there is no unused line, it is determined whether or not there is an unused line among the lines of a type with low priority. In the case where there is an unused line, a line to be used is selected from the lines of this type (analog lines). In the case where there is no unused line among the lines of either type, a reservation for transmission with a line of the type with high priority is made. A line identification information output portion outputs identification information on the line to be used such as the number or the name, and the information is displayed on a display portion.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 9-200319 (1997) discloses the following technique: in order to respond to a call from a particular caller without fail when a plurality of connected lines receive calls at the same time, when the number that matches the received caller number is registered as a one-touch dial, then an LED indicator for indicating a state is made flash, corresponding to the one-touch dial button, to indicate that the call is being received. In particular, in the case of a digital line such as an ISDN line, when two calls using two channels are received at the same time, a user can recognize the callers to know which should be answered first and respond to the call from the caller to be communicated with first without fail, irrespective of the order of receiving the calls.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 11-284722 (1999) discloses a technique for a telephone with a plurality of lines, in which a message recording function and an ID display function are utilized sufficiently when one telephone line is busy and a call is received in another line. The telephone according to this technique includes a recording and memory portion, an operation portion, and a portion for displaying ID data obtained from a data demodulator. When one line is busy and a call is received at the other line, a main control portion set one mode selected by the operation of the operation portion from a plurality of function modes including a first function mode in which the other line is connected to the recording and memory portion to record a message and a second function mode in which an on-hold message is supplied to the other line.
In the techniques disclosed in JP-A 5-30253 and JP-A 5-336339, a request for conversation after the image transmission of the facsimile apparatus is dealt with appropriately by using a communication apparatus that is not in use, or by indicating that there is a conversation request to the user who is on the phone. The technique disclosed in JP-U 2-24664 defines a procedure in the case where a call is received in another line during communications. Moreover, the technique disclosed in JP-A 6-164760 shows a method for selecting a more convenient line by selecting the type of the line at the time of making a call. In the technique disclosed in JP-A 9-200319, when a call from a caller who is registered as a one-touch dial is received in a communication apparatus having a plurality of lines, the user is notified of the call by lighting the button of this one-touch dial. In the technique disclosed in JP-A 11-284722, when a call is received at another line during communications, for example, recording is switched according to an instruction of the user.
Conventionally, telephones and facsimile apparatuses with one or a plurality of cordless slave apparatuses also have been employed. The cordless slave apparatus operates using a battery as a power source and waits while being mounted on a charging apparatus when it is not in use for communications. Some of the telephone communication apparatus with cordless slave apparatuses have a quick communication function of allowing communications by setting a communication path immediately after the cordless slave apparatus is picked up from the charging apparatus. With the quick communication function, when the cordless slave apparatus is picked up from the charging apparatus, the slave apparatus is connected to the communication path immediately and can start communications, which is as convenient as in the case where when a handset is picked up from a main body of the telephone communication apparatus, the handset is turned to be in an off-hook state and can start communications.
Connecting a plurality of lines to a telephone communication apparatus is highly useful. For example, it becomes possible to perform simultaneously speech communications and image transmission or sending and receiving images with a facsimile apparatus. Also in the telephone, when the telephone can be connected to a plurality of cordless slave apparatuses, then simultaneous connections of a plurality of slave apparatuses or the main body and the slave apparatus to external lines become possible in addition to communications between the slave apparatuses, so that it becomes possible to utilize the functions of the telephone sufficiently. Alternatively, connecting, for example, a plurality of telephones to a plurality of lines makes it possible to decrease the busy states of the line or to respond to a plurality of calls simultaneously, so that the telephones and the lines can be used efficiently.
As described above, in such cases where the telephone that is connected to a plurality of lines is provided with the quick communication function, and where calls are received from a plurality of lines, it is necessary to set the procedure for speech communications. This is because when connected to a plurality of lines, the quick communication cannot be realized in reality, unless a line to be connected to can be determined quickly when a cordless slave apparatus is picked up from the charging apparatus.
Moreover, in the case where one line is busy for communications and another line receives a communication request, it is also necessary to switch lines in response to this communication request, and to simplify the processing of the line that has been busy at the time of switching, in order to efficiently utilize, for example, a telephone that is connected to a plurality of lines.
However, processing regarding quick communications in the case of a plurality of lines and an idea of automatically holding on the previous communications at the time of switching the communications, for example, in a telephone apparatus with a plurality of lines are not disclosed in any of the techniques described above.